Students at Chapman have the opportunity to jump-start their college journeys by taking classes for college credit while still in high school. 

By taking dual credit or Advanced Placement (AP) classes, students get an early feel of the expectations and rigorous workload of college courses.

Ever since high school students have been able to take these college-level classes, there has been constant debate about whether it’s even worth it to take such courses. It’s no secret that dual credit and especially AP classes are more challenging than even honors high school classes. However, taking these types of classes are well worth it and will serve students well in the long-run.

First and foremost, AP and dual credit classes make the adjustment from high school to college much easier for students. 

According to an article from Arizona State University, taking classes for college credit allows students to “be prepared for the workload and develop college-level academic skills.” 

College freshmen who have taken dual credit or AP classes have an advantage over their classmates because they have already learned how to think critically and manage their time, skills that are absolutely necessary for college success.

Additionally, because AP and dual credit classes typically are the equivalent of introductory college courses, students who pass those courses in high school are able to skip those introductory courses because they already have the credit for them. Instead, they can start taking classes that are more specific to their majors, which opens up possibilities for early graduation, study abroad or even an early start to a graduate degree.

Another small but important bonus to AP courses is that unlike normal college courses, AP courses are completely free for those who take them. 

The price of college classes is high, so any opportunity to get legitimate college credit without having to pay for the class will save students and parents hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars in the future.

Furthermore, taking courses for college credit exposes high performing students to new content areas and challenges them with material at a much higher level than the typical college prep or honors class. 

As someone who has taken the full spectrum of high school classes, I can truly say that my AP classes have been the classes that really stretched my abilities as a student. Not only that, but the information I have learned in those classes has stuck with me well after the final exam is taken. My AP Human Geography experience was cut short in my freshman year because of the pandemic, but almost two years later, I still remember how to read a Demographic Transition Model and which countries are in which stages of demographic development. 

Similarly, my AP Calculus experience was somewhat unusual because most of the first semester was on a hybrid schedule and the rest was done with Plexiglass and social distancing, but I still remember how to take derivatives and integrals of a variety of functions and how to apply those rules to certain problems, even almost a year after taking the AP exam.

So if you are someone who wants to take dual credit or AP classes but isn’t sure if those classes are even worth it, I would tell you with 100% confidence that they are well worth it. Take those classes. 

If you want to be challenged with material like you’ve never seen before, if you want to learn how to think critically about the world around you, or if you want to explore an area of study with people who are just as high-achieving as you are, all while getting a head start on your college career, dual credit and AP classes are for you.

We at Chapman are incredibly blessed to have excellent AP and dual credit teachers who go above and beyond to ensure that their students see success not just in their classes or on their final exams, but in their journey beyond high school and into the real world.

 Yes, those courses will be tough, and yes, you will have to work hard both inside the classroom and out, and yes, final exam practice is no fun at all, but the content you learn, the academic advantage you gain, and the skills you develop in these classes will carry you far past the walls of Chapman High School and into a successful, college-and-career-ready life.